FINDING YOUR PASSION AND PURSUING IT TOO

It is easy to see why Carla Julian of Move On Yoga quit her day job and ventured out on her own. A free person by her own admission, Julian is very clear that she wanted to do something different as a routine for her was, “too boring’. Originally from Madrid, Julian moved to London for her post-graduation, and then taught across schools in London for over ten years, before moving to Dubai because, “Europe was sinking, and I was looking for the right place to move to for a while.” Dubai wasn’t her first option, infact it was one of many. Between Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Dubai, Dubai stood out for her because, “it kind of fitted in between, its proximity to Europe was one factor, but also the fact that it’s a cool city with plenty of opportunities.”

Julian worked successfully as a teacher in London, and also moved to Dubai to join an international school as a teacher, but she was clear she didn’t want to do this her whole life, “I was really bored and I didn’t see myself growing old as a teacher.” But entrepreneurship, she says, is something that was always at the back of her mind, “I free-lanced in London for 5 years, and while freelancing in my first year here was difficult, but when the time was right, I just took off.” But ask her what the Eureka moment was and she says, “I was very sad in England for some time so I went for a course, and a workshop, where I had a bit of catharsis, and I came back with the idea that I can do my own thing now, I felt ready.”

MOVE ON YOGA, THE COMPETITION, AND WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT.

Describing Move on Yoga, she says, “Move on Yoga is very fresh, it is mainly a travel brand featuring many travel accessories. It is a Yoga brand, and it fits in therapeutics, it fits in children, it fits in family yoga, and also a lot of power yoga.” But despite Yoga picking up in a huge way in the region, she isn’t worried about competition because she strongly believes that her brand is different. She goes on to add, “What makes it different is my essence really, you just have to fit in with our style and our concept, the idea of moving on and around, that’s the whole point that you can travel with it, the fact that you can take your mats anywhere and practice yoga anywhere and it doesn’t have to be a specific studio space or a city or a gym, you can take Yoga around with you. Our accessories i.e. the travel bags, computer cases, accessories also make it different from the competition.”

QUITTING YOUR DAY JOB TO PURSUE YOUR PASSION.

Nothing worth having ever comes easy, and the switch from a stable job to pursue her passion came with it’s own set of challenges. “It can be very quiet, very daunting, very good, or suddenly very bad. It’s really volatile and you can’t really control or predict next week. Your schedule changes all the time and you don’t have fixed working hours, so it’s difficult to strike a balance. “But Julian is okay with the non-fixed work hours, adding, “, I don’t like being put in a box and for that reason I hated having a routine, I know it’s secure, you know what’s coming, but god, it was so boring. These days, I get a random call from someone who will say that they got your number from somewhere and are looking for a Yoga instructor and that becomes the reason you leave the bed, it can be so random, and that’s the magic of it.” Being a female entrepreneur in Dubai on it’s own would have come with its own set of challenges, but Julian disagrees, “I haven’t faced any trouble. I have had no complaints or issues about being a female and starting out on my own in Dubai. I think it’s more of a myth, and issues that female entrepreneurs can face in Dubai, they might face in other parts of the world as well.”

As of now, Julian is focused on the future for Move On Yoga. While talking about her plans for the end of 2016 she says, “I would like to focus more on retreats and teacher training, and start distributing accessories abroad since we have had a lot of inquiries. We are looking to expand internationally in the region as well, and maybe also Sri Lanka. “

“QUIT YOUR JOB. DO IT.”

Julian is very happy that she made the switch from the stability of a job to the unpredictability that following one’s heart tends to bring. And her advice to those looking to pursue their passion is the same, “Quit your job, do it. If it doesn’t work out, you can say you tried, and you learnt from the experience.”